taken 3 years ago, near to New Rackheath, Norfolk, Great Britain

During WW2 the US Army Air Force (USAAF) occupied many of the aerodromes in East Anglia. In their spare time some of the servicemen decorated the walls of the buildings they lived and spent some time in with graffiti and murals. The 'noses' of many of their aircraft too were often embellished with paintings and, presumably to boost morale, bombing missions flown and downed enemy aircraft were recorded by either painting bombs or swastikas, often several rows of them, onto their aircraft. Others drew personal mission boards onto the walls of their barracks huts. Skillfully executed paintings depicting aircraft, semi-clad women, cartoon characters or landscape scenes have also been recorded. Some of this wartime artwork has been preserved in restored buildings and some has been extracted and is now on display in museums, but much remains in situ, often unrecorded, deteriorating in decades-old damp buildings and sadly, a lot has already been lost.

Rackheath aerodrome was built by John Laing & Son Ltd on the estate of Sir Edward Stracy of Rackheath Hall. Built to the specifications of a Class-A heavy bomber airfield it was used by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). The station opened in March 1944 and was designated USAAF Station 145. The station became the home of the 467th Bombardment Group (Heavy), the third group in the 96th Combat Wing, Second Bombardment Division (later Air Division) of the Eighth Air Force of the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF). See also: Link